Doing This Forever
by NeonDomino
Summary: James is about to go back to Hogwarts. So he asks his best friend to keep an eye on his squib cousin whilst he's away. Sirius/Remus.


**Written for:**

Auction - Setting: The Leaky Cauldron

Seasonal - Days of the year - 20th May - use the phrase 'Money can't buy happiness.

Seasonal - Spring - 23 - (dialogue) "It's time for a fresh start."

Seasonal - Colours - 8 - Coral

Seasonal - Birthstones - 2- Emerald - (dialogue) "All's fair in love and punches." / "I don't think that's how that goes."

Seasonal - Flowers - 10 - Allium - (object) Bottle

Seasonal - Earth - 10 - (word) Stability

Seasonal - Amanda's Challenge - Pairings - 5- Jughead/Betty - Write a story about people from two different worlds entering a relationship

Seasonal - Hufflepuff Prompts - Trait - 5 - Kind

Seasonal - Star Chart - 4 - March 29th - Conjunction of the moon and Saturn: (word) Exception

*Bonus for writing for something each section!*

Writing Club - Disney - Dialogue - 2 - "They can't order me to stop dreaming."

Writing Club - Book Club - 1 - Artemis Fowl: (color) gold, (plot point) someone is underestimated, (word) power, (quote) "Trust me, I'm a genius."

Writing Club - Showtime - 17 - Oliver! (reprise) - (emotion) Delighted

Writing Club - Em's Emporium - 2 - (trope) found family.

Writing Club - Liza's Lodes - 5 - Write about someone protective of another person.

Writing Club - Angel's Arcade - 12 - Guile: (action) smirking, (object) sunglasses, (word) confidence

Writing Club - Lo's Lowdown - Dialogue - 5- "I don't have friends. I just have one."

Writing Club - Bex's Basement - Peter Parker - 3 - (Dialogue) "[Name], I don't feel so good."

Writing Club - Film Festival - 18 - (Dialogue) "Wow, this place is crowded."

Pinata - Medium - Known Order Members

Dragons - 5760 words

Writing Month - 5760 words

Constellation - 4 - Pisces - 4 - Iota Piscium: (dialogue) "That is the man/woman/person I'm going to marry."

Fortnightly Events:

Zoo - 4 - Lion - Write about a Gryffindor

Elizabeth Appreciation - 8 - write about someone who is always looking out for others.

Easter - Build a Basket - Stage 1 - Polka dotted: (object) key

Assignment 7 - Ghost Hunting - Task Three: Write about a place that makes someone feel uneasy.

Herbology:

Mixed Seed: Item - Torch

Mixed Seed: Dialogue: "Is that really what happened?"

* * *

Doing This Forever

For Raybe

* * *

Remus yawned as he sat down at the table. His mother waved goodbye, blowing a kiss at both him and James, before she headed towards Diagon Alley with Lyall.

"Are your parents already in Diagon?" Remus asked, accepting the hot chocolate that James pushed towards him. He glanced at the drink. "What did you do?" he asked, suspiciously.

"What makes you think I did something?" James asked.

"Usually you get me tea," Remus pointed out. "But it's hot chocolate this time, which means you've done something and you're trying to butter me up." He watched James carefully. "Am I going to hear stories when you get back, all about how you screwed with the Slytherins again."

James shook his head. "Honestly? Well, I'll probably screw with them, but that's not the plan at the moment - it's not why I asked you to come today instead of tomorrow as planned."

The tone of his voice told Remus that something bigger than pranks was happening. "Is everything okay?" he asked, worried now. James was rarely serious about anything.

James shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Do you know Regulus Black from school?"

"What did you do to him?" Remus started, but James shook his head.

"Nothing. Well, did you know he has a brother?"

"His parents had a baby?" Remus asked, confused now. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"An older brother," James said. "Distantly related to me, though no-one knew about him. Well, there were mentions according to my mum, but… but he doesn't go to Hogwarts, never seen in public. People assumed he was dead or something, so didn't mention him."

"And he's not dead?" Remus guessed.

James shook his head. "He lives with us now," he said. "You know Mum… she's basically adopted him. I mean, he seems nice enough, but he wasn't in a good state when arriving so I only got to chat with him a bit this morning - we had to share a room here."

"Here?" Remus asked.

"He has this weird thing about big houses. They send him into a panic, or… I don't really know, I admit. We came here last night and he… I need help because I don't know what to do."

"Regulus Black's brother," Remus murmured. In his head, he pictured an older version of Regulus and couldn't work out what James was telling him - how did the older brother end up with James, why did people think he was dead and why didn't he go to Hogwarts?

"Uncle Alphard turned up with Sirius last night," James explained.

"So… are you bringing him to Hogwarts with you?" Remus asked, feeling like he was missing something.

"We can't. He's a squib," James explained. "Remus, I need your help. I'm going to be going to Hogwarts, and Sirius… he's nice enough but he doesn't know much. He was tutored privately. He had a house-elf doing basically everything for him. I don't think he knows how to do things the Muggle way. I was hoping you'd keep an eye on him whilst I was at school."

Remus took a deep breath. "James, I'm a werewolf," he said, lowering his voice so no-one around could hear. "The Blacks haven't exactly been quiet about their dislike of my kind. He's not going to want anything to do with me."

"Sirius… he's not been treated well by his family," James pointed out. "We've only chatted for a little bit, but… he's not like them. I don't think he is. He's got an open mind."

Remus wanted to refuse. He didn't want someone knowing his secret - James was the only friend he had and the only person he knew, because Charlus Potter had sought out Lyall's expert advice for an Auror case, and James had attached himself to Remus. Somehow, James had become his best friend.

"If he's willing to overlook what I am…" Remus began. After all, James had given _him_ the benefit of the doubt, so he could do the same with James' cousin. It wasn't like he could hide it for very long. The scars, the absences from people's lives during the full moon… if Sirius was going to be a big part of James' life now, he was inevitably going to learn what Remus was.

And Remus hoped that Sirius would accept him. After all, he was James' family. He was living with James too. Remus was just a friend - and he didn't want James to choose Sirius over him. He didn't want James to have to choose at all. It also seemed like Sirius needed a family right now, so he didn't want James to choose him over Sirius.

Things were complicated.

...oOo...

They only had to wait half an hour. James' gaze kept moving towards the door leading up to the rooms as they sat, waiting for Sirius to emerge. James had stood up about four times to go up, but each time Remus insisted he wait.

It was all new to Sirius, this place, James, everything that was happening. If he was taking his time, it was most likely because he needed time to come to terms with everything. Sirius had been through a lot and probably needed a chance to wrap his head around the life he was now living. Leaving family, starting anew. It wasn't some that could be taken easily.

Finally the door opened with a creak. James straightened up, his arm raising to wave, and Remus watched him, extremely nervous now.

"What if he hates me?" he murmured quietly. "I date blokes, I'm a werewolf… I'm not a pureblood…"

"Give him a chance," James begged gently, his eyes fixed behind Remus now. "He needs friends, and you're the best person I know. I'm certain he'll see that too! He's just… he's just standing there. Maybe he hasn't seen me."

Remus turned as James stood from his chair, waving even harder, and his gaze landed on a nervous looking teenager whose fingers were clutching at the doorframe as his gaze moved around the room. He looked completely terrified. Remus couldn't help but stare. He had assumed Sirius would look more like Regulus. Whereas Regulus Black was handsome, there was no denying that… Sirius Black was completely gorgeous.

"Sirius!" James shouted. "Over here."

"Sit down," Remus snapped. The shouting seemed to make Sirius panic even more. He watched the guy step backwards slightly.

"He's nervous," Remus insisted, causing James to stop.

"I'll go and get him." James was too fast, out of his chair but something told Remus that James was going to make things harder. He grabbed the bottom of James' shirt as he passed, tugging him back.

"Go and get him a bottle of water from the bar," Remus said. "I'll get him to the table."

James looked over at Sirius for a moment, assessing the situation. "Yeah, he doesn't look good," he agreed. "Are you sure? He doesn't know you, maybe I'd do better getting him over?"

"I'm calmer," Remus pointed out.

James glanced at the bar. "Another hot chocolate?" he asked, causing Remus to nod. He turned towards the bar and Remus glanced back at Sirius, noticing his gaze was on James now.

He stood up from the table, set aside his panic at the idea of talking to someone so attractive, and walked over.

Sirius' gaze met his, and Sirius moved back inside of the doorway, leaning against the wall, almost knocking a torch down in the process.

"I'm not going past," Remus said, smiling gently. "I'm Remus, James' friend. I sent him to get you some water to stop him being so loud."

"He _is_ loud," Sirius agreed. He glanced back at Remus. "James mentioned you. I like your eyes, they're weird and pretty."

"Oh. Uh, thanks?" Remus murmured. "You too. I mean, you have nice eyes."

The look of panic faded slightly and Sirius' lips curved at the side. "I do, don't I," he replied. "I borrowed Mama-Dorea's eyeliner after she used it because it made her eyes look nice." He paused. "She said I could call her that if I wanted."

Remus nodded. "Dorea is nice like that," he said. "You're going to be living with them?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. Big house full of magic. It's… I don't like that. But Mummy-D said that it's my choice." He opened his mouth to say more, but shrugged his shoulders instead.

"You ready to come to the table?" Remus gently pressed.

Sirius looked at the table. "Look at all of the people crowding around the table," he said.

Remus followed his gaze. The table was in the middle of the place, but there weren't that many people around. Just people passing their table when coming in, or going to the bar.

"How about we move to a corner table?" Remus suggested. "You pick which one you'll be comfortable at."

Sirius glanced around, his gaze finally settling on a small booth in the corner.

"Come on," Remus said with a smile. Sirius grabbed his arm and allowed Remus to lead the way, keeping close to him. As they neared the old table, Remus gestured for James to follow them.

...oOo...

Sirius squeezed into the booth next to Remus, his arm resting loosely over the back of the booth. James took a seat on the other side.

"Where's Mummy?" Sirius asked. "Is she not joining us? What about Pops?"

"They've gone to Diagon Alley. They'll probably have found Remus' parents by now," James said. "They thought it'd do us both good to hang out with Remus today, get to know each other."

"Good point. I want to get to know Remus better." Fingers brushed the back of Remus' neck. "So, tell me - why isn't your girlfriend here, Remus?"

"Oh. I… I don't…" Remus began nervously.

"Why don't we talk about… about what happens when I go back to Hogwarts in a few weeks," James said, helpfully changing the subject.

Remus glanced at Sirius, a little startled to realise Sirius was staring at him intently. "Uh… since I don't go to Hogwarts, James was thinking that I could keep you company. If my parents approve, you can come over sometimes. We can show you how to do things like…"

"Use a washing machine?" Sirius asked, looking too eager at the idea of using one. "It has so many buttons and stuff."

"Sure, if that's what you want to learn," Remus agreed. "How did you end up at James' anyway?"

Sirius' smile fell. "I'm a squib in a family that hate squibs," he said. "If there weren't laws against it, they'd have obliviated me and stuck me in a Muggle orphanage when I was of school age and my letter didn't come, confirming their worst fears. But they couldn't do that so they hid me away, letting people forget about me. I had a tutor, I saw a tailor who came to the house every so often, and the house-elf got me whatever I needed. It was a bad day. I did something wrong, I suppose, so Mother got angry… and it ended with me flooing to Uncle Alphard's house. I like him. He stops over sometimes and brings me books on Muggle things and he bought me my cool Muggle leather jacket for my last birthday… you should see me in it."

"I bet you look good in it," Remus commented, trying to sound polite. Though he wondered if it was possible for Sirius to look any more attractive than he already did.

"I'll model it for you anytime," Sirius insisted. "And you can model those… those cardigans for me. I mean, you do have more of them, right?"

Remus nodded. He owned a lot of cardigans. He glanced down at the one he was wearing. It was just a plain coral coloured one that his mum had bought him a few weeks before - why on Earth would Sirius want him to model it?

"So, you don't go to Hogwarts," Sirius murmured. "Private tutor? Are you a squib too?"

"I'm not a squib," Remus confirmed. "I go to a Muggle school though, and my father filed in forms a few years ago that allow me to do magic at home between certain times so he can teach me."

Sirius stared at him for a long moment, his gaze moving over the scar on Remus' face. "Werewolf," he finally murmured. "That's such a turn-on."

James choked on his drink.

"How did you know?" No point denying it now, Remus figured.

"You don't go to Hogwarts yet you have magic," Sirius said. "So you're not what the governers would consider 'suitable'. The scar could have just been an accident, but…" Sirius shrugged. "You look really tired and you were walking like you had the slightest of limps when we came to the table, and the full moon was recently. Werewolf was the most obvious guess. " His fingers brushed against the back of Remus' neck again. "You're adorable, you know."

"I'm… what?"

"So, from what I've gathered, James is going back to Hogwarts and I'm going to go to college with you. What course are we taking? Which one of us will drive the car there? Would it just make sense for us to get our own place together? If we share a room, it'll cost less."

Remus looked at James for help. James was staring between them. "So, college?" James asked.

"It's time for a fresh start," Sirius replied, finally looking away from Remus. "I'm a squib. I'm pretty much a Muggle, so maybe it's time I live as they do. Uncle Alphard said I could get a job in the magical world, but I don't know if that's such a good idea. He said he'll give me money for my own place if I want that..." he glanced at James. "You can live with us too, but you'll have to have your own room."

"I…" Remus stood up. "Excuse me, I just need to go to the loo," he said. Sirius shifted out of the booth, allowing Remus to pass.

"That's the man I'm going to marry," Sirius said dreamily to James as Remus walked away.

...oOo...

"Do you fancy Remus?" James asked, as the toilet door shut behind his friend, leaving him alone with Sirius.

"No, of course not. Why, did he say something?" Sirius asked, staring at James.

"When would he have said something?" James replied, exasperated. "You met him half an hour ago, and I've not been alone with him for a moment of that time."

Sirius' eyes narrowed and he reached across the table, punching James in the shoulder.

"Ouch," James said, frowning at Sirius. "Why did you do that?"

"All's fair in love and punches."

"I don't think that's how that goes," James insisted. "Let's avoid the fighting - you tell me what the problem is otherwise I can't help you."

"James, you know that I consider you my closest friend… my only friend… I mean… I don't have friends. I just have one. You."

James nodded. It was very soon to think of Sirius as a close friend, yet Sirius had grown up with no-one. His mother had spoken to James very firmly about these things - that Sirius may attach himself to them because they're the first ones to show him what a real family is. "We're friends," he confirmed.

"Good. So you'll understand that I'm telling you to stay away from Remus."

"Wait? What? I thought you were getting along with him?" James asked.

Sirius nodded. "Remus is the love of my life, and I'm not going to have you trying to sneak off alone with him to seduce him. Are we clear?"

"I'm not romantically interested in Remus," James assured Sirius. "He's my best friend, Sirius. He's like a brother to me, okay? So you don't have to worry. In fact, I promise I won't seduce him away."

"Not like you could," Sirius said, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. He pulled the ribbon out from the back, letting his wavy hair fall free. It brushed against his shoulders. "I'm more his type, don't you think?"

James nodded because it seemed like the most sensible reaction. He didn't know Remus' type at all, but he had a feeling that Sirius was going to win Remus over. Remus shied away from dating usually, scared that the Muggles in his school would find out his secret. So whilst he had 'friends', he wasn't close with any of them.

But Sirius knew Remus' secret and was clearly quite happy to pursue a relationship. Remus couldn't use his condition as an excuse, so Sirius would most likely be the exception to the 'no dating' thing. So who was James to interfere? If it made them both happy, James would bite his tongue. He was just scared for the both of them. Remus hadn't dated, and Sirius didn't know how to interact with people on an appropriate level.

But he was responsible for both of them. It was his duty to protect them both. So he'd help them both when this relationship inevitably started. He'd make sure the pair of them were on the same page at all times and he'd mediate arguments if necessary. He'd be supportive and hope that they were both happy with each other.

Remus returned a minute later, taking his seat again. This time, when Sirius sat back down after letting Remus into the booth, he sat a little bit closer than before. As Remus reached for his hot chocolate, Sirius' fingers wrapped around his bottle of water, yet his eyes were on the cup.

"What is that?" he finally blurted out.

"Hot chocolate," Remus replied, pausing with the cup inches from his face.

"Oh. I used to drink that when… I don't remember what it's like." He glanced at the drink, his eyes following the steam that was still coming off it. "I might get one, see if I like it."

"Well, why don't you try a bit of mine," Remus offered, setting the cup down. "It'll save you wasting your money if you don't like it."

Sirius reached for the cup. "Thank you," he said, before bringing it to his lips and taking a sip.

...oOo...

James sat down with the three hot chocolates. The bottle of water was ignored now that Sirius had found a better drink, and he had insisted James should have one too, though James did attempt to explain that he knew how it tasted but preferred butterbeer.

Sirius' life had been pretty messed up. If it made him happy, James would drink the hot chocolate. He wanted Sirius to feel safe around him, safe and happy and feel like his life had some stability.

"So, you can have any future you want - what future is that?" Remus asked. "What job would you like? Where would you like to go?"

Sirius shook his head quickly. "No. It was hard enough to walk into here today, Moonpie." He gestured around, noticing that more people had arrived. "Wow, this place is crowded," he added, looking concerned. "Remus, I don't feel so good."

"Just focus on me and James," Remus insisted gently. "If you can't manage this, we can go somewhere else, okay? But if you can manage here, it's good. It'll help to get used to people, okay?"

Sirius nodded his head. "Sure," he murmured, though he didn't sound so sure. He grabbed Remus' hand on the table and squeezed it for comfort.

"So, what do you want to do with your life?" James asked, repeating Remus' question. "Forget about places to go. One step at a time. What do you want to experience?"

Sirius considered the question. His gaze shifted between James and Remus for a moment, glancing at where he was clutching Remus' hand. "Family," he finally said, his cheeks reddening as though he was saying something wrong. "Love. My parents hated a lot of things. Being gay is one of them. I didn't tell them that I… Mummy-Dorea said it was nothing to be ashamed of, so I'm sharing it with you both now…"

James stared at him, as did Remus. Sirius hadn't been discreet in the slightest about his like of men, considering how he was acting around Remus.

"I like guys too," Remus replied, smiling softly. He couldn't help but like Sirius, despite his oddities. In fact, some of what he liked about Sirius was his oddities. He said what was on his mind and there was nothing fake about him. He was just someone who had a tough life, who wanted what other people took for granted.

"I might be a squib, but I think I have a lot to offer," Sirius continued. "I just needed to be free of them. They used to order me around, but… but in my head, I'd make plans. I'd think about what I'd do if I ever found that freedom." He smiled. "They couldn't order me to stop dreaming."

"And you have us now. We're going to help you," James insisted. "You've got a family with us, you've got friends. I have no doubt that you'll find love." He couldn't help that his gaze shifted to Remus at those words. "We set goals - start small at first and work our way up. Me and Remus are going to help you achieve them."

"Goals," Sirius murmured. "Okay. A simple goal." He bit his lip in thought. "I want to stay in here through lunch. I'm used to having very few people around and… and there's so many people."

"We can build up on that over time," Remus assured him. "We get used to small crowds like this for now."

"This helps," Sirius commented, glancing at their joined hands.

"Well, whenever you feel anxious or panicked or… or anything, you can take my hand," Remus murmured.

"And… and what about when I feel fine? Can I take your hand then too?" Sirius checked. He smiled softly. "Because I like this very much."

"I… I like it too," Remus replied. Sirius' smile widened, clearly delighted at the response.

"So, lunch?"

...oOo...

There was just something about the way Sirius and Remus were smiling at each other. With every passing minute, James' worries eased more and more. He was less worried about leaving Sirius when he went to Hogwarts, because Sirius and Remus had each other. It was clear in the smiles, the glances (or outright devoted staring in Sirius' case). The way Sirius had gone from clutching Remus' hand for support, to stroking his thumb across the back of it. Though as the place filled up all the more over lunchtime, Sirius' grip tightened once more.

It eased the guilt James felt every time he left Remus behind when heading to Hogwarts. He wasn't leaving anyone alone anymore.

"Wales is quiet," Remus said. "Much less busy than London. It took me a long time to get used to these crowds, but the town near my home is much easier to handle. Maybe once you're ready to be out and about, we can start there?"

"Maybe I can work up to your town before London," Sirius said. "I mean, I think I'll find a flat near yours so I can see you every single day."

"You don't have to do that," Remus said, though the smile on his lips said that he liked the idea. "I can floo to you anytime and you can floo…"

"No. We'll need to live near each other so I can go to your college," Sirius insisted. "And so I can spend time with you. I heard about Muggle movies - cinemas. Maybe we could do that sometime?"

"Like a date?" Remus asked.

"Yeah. Definitely a date," Sirius insisted. "I guess that makes you my boyfriend now."

"That's something else we'd need to build up towards," Remus replied. "But… I'd like to see where it goes."

"Another goal," Sirius murmured with a smile. "I'm starting to like the concept of setting goals."

James couldn't help but smile. When he had come up with the idea of Remus keeping an eye on Sirius, he hadn't for a moment considered that they would have this instant connection. That they would start down the path to falling in love.

"So, goal completed," James said. "What now?"

"I think maybe it's a good time to go somewhere quieter," Sirius murmured, another glance around. "I may go back to my room for a bit. Remus?"

"I need to find my parents before they finish shopping," Remus commented. "I need to stop in Honeydukes to stock up on chocolate."

"Oh." Sirius looked lost for a moment, but he reached into his pocket and moved closer to Remus.

"Come and find me, I'll get rid of James," he whispered loudly, pressing a small gold key into Remus' hand. He smirked as Remus' fingers closed around the key. "I'll be waiting for you."

James coughed loudly.

"I might take a nap for now," Sirius added, moving back slightly. "James, you don't have to stay here to watch me, I'll be fine. Remus, you won't go back to Wales without saying goodbye, will you?"

"Of course I won't," Remus insisted, slipping the key into his pocket. "I'll come back in about an hour, okay? It's enough time for you to have a rest."

...oOo...

"Well, that was interesting," James said, as he walked from the building with Remus. "I never thought you'd have that sort of… of magical power to make Sirius fall for you so quickly."

Remus laughed. "I never thought it either," he admitted. "But maybe he's not falling for me. Maybe he's just confused over his feelings or something."

"No. I think he really likes you," James insisted. "Trust me, I'm a genius."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "So I've got a real boyfriend now?" he checked. "Is that really what happened?"

"Yeah. And I think you're going to be really happy together. You seem like a perfect match. He's going to need a lot of help though - social boundaries, learning to live life the Muggle way…"

"And I'm happy to be there to support and help him," Remus said. "I said I'd help, and I'm not going back on that." He pointed up street. "There's my mum," he said.

The pair walked over to Hope who was standing outside one of the shops. She beamed as she glanced at them.

"Nice sunglasses," James commented.

"They are, aren't they?" Hope said, removing them. "So much better than the ones in the shops in town. These make things appear in different colours, such fun!"

"Mum, did Dorea mention Sirius to you?" Remus asked.

She nodded. "Poor darling," she said. "I told her that he's welcome at ours anytime. The spare room is small, but he can come over and spend time with you. I don't want him to be lonely anymore, it sounds like he's had a horrible upbringing. But he has all of us now, so we'll make sure he's happy."

"Yeah… well, Sirius is… he has a lot of confidence and he… he's..."

"Remus' boyfriend," James piped up. "Completely smitten with Remus. Going to college with Remus. Planning their wedding as we speak, most likely."

Remus glared at James.

Hope chuckled. "And you're just as taken with him?"

"We're going to go to the cinema together," Remus said. "Sirius is also going to need help to learn to live like a Muggle. He wants to get a flat in Wales, near us…"

Hope's smile widened. "And we can have him over for dinner every night so he won't be alone," she said. "Find out what Sirius wants to study - your father can talk to his friend at the college and explain Sirius' circumstances. I'm sure they'll find him a place there." She glanced around. "I suppose you're here for Honeydukes?" she asked. "We haven't been in yet. Though Dorea did tell me about some delicious strawberry chocolate that we'd both enjoy."

"What are we waiting for?" Remus asked. "Let's go." He turned to James. "What kind of chocolate does Sirius like?"

James grinned. If Remus was willing to share chocolate, he must really have a thing for Sirius.

...oOo...

Hope watched patiently as Sirius stirred the sauce in the saucepan. Hope had silently watched as he had tasted a bit of each, before adding a few to the meal he was making.

Though she had her own way of making spaghetti bolognaise, she wanted Sirius to learn by himself, judging the ingredients that he thought best. Cooking was a lot about trying and testing until happy.

Sirius sniffed the pan, before sneaking a peek at Hope.

"Keep stirring," she insisted. "You don't want the mince to get stuck to the bottom of the pan."

Sirius began stirring again and Hope moved to his side to give the spaghetti a stir in the next pan.

"Does Remus like this dish?" Sirius checked.

Hope smiled. "He does. Remus likes simple meals - spaghetti bolognaise, shepherd's pie, casserole. I've tried to teach him, but he's… he struggles with cooking."

"Well, when we get married, I can cook for him," Sirius insisted happily.

"Dear, Remus is fond of you. You don't have to do all of this to impress him," she said.

"I know. But if I'm useful and… and can do these things, he'll want to stick around," Sirius insisted. "So I'm going to be the best. I need to be - because I can't use magic to do this stuff."

"My son will value who you are, not what you can do," Hope said. "He's never dated anyone before you, Sirius. In the space of one morning, you had made more of an impression on him than anyone. He uses his condition as an excuse not to live a normal life, so when he told me he was seeing you - when James told me - I already liked you because you had somehow gotten past all of the defences that he's set up. I was scared he would never allow anyone in. So I believe you're special."

"You… you do?" Sirius asked. He reached up to tuck a stray curl behind his ear.

She nodded. "I don't believe magic makes someone special," she insisted gently. "It's the person themselves. You've gone through hardships and some people would be hardened and cold and keep others at arms length - yet you're kind and caring despite everything. You deserve to be happy. You deserve so much."

"I have two families that care now," Sirius pointed out. "If only my parents had tried to get rid of me as a kid… maybe I'd have ended up at James' home sooner." He stopped stirring the sauce. "It's ready."

Hope nodded and grabbed two plates out and began to put pieces of garlic bread on. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Sirius turned the hob off and took the pan of spaghetti over to the sink where the drainer sat.

She had explained everything and had seen quickly that Sirius was a fast learner. A natural cook in her opinion. He just needed to learn about cooking. With lessons, he would do really well.

"Two plates?" Sirius asked, shaking the drainer.

She smiled. "I sent Remus to set the table nicely and go and get a movie from the shop. You haven't had a chance to go on a date yet, so have your date here. Have a nice dinner and watch a movie together. Me and Lyall are going to go for a drink down the road, give you a couple of hours together."

Sirius began lifting the pasta onto the plates, and Hope put the rest into a container, sealing the lid.

"Do you remember the talk Charlus and Lyall had with you?" Hope checked.

Sirius nodded. "About sex and pregnancy and not to have sex with Remus and about…"

Hope nodded. "And the talk me and Dorea had with you afterwards because you looked really traumatised?"

"About respect and getting to know each other," Sirius said. "About building a foundation. About how you and Lyall got married first." He smiled. "Don't worry, Mum. I'm not going to rush this relationship - I intend for this to last, so I'm going to take it super slow. I really care for Remus." He kept serving up the food with Hope, putting the leftovers into containers.

"Some people put cheese on top of that," Hope commented. "I have some already grated in the fridge."

Sirius nodded his head. "Do I light candles?" he asked, turning to her.

Hope smiled. "Let Remus take care of that," she insisted. She reached for the empty saucepan and put it into the sink, running water into it, before checking that the hobs were switched off. "Now, once these have cooled down, put them in the fridge. Me and Lyall will eat later. There's chocolate ice-cream in the freezer - Remus' favourite. No bedroom, and be respectful of each other."

Sirius grinned. "I promise," he insisted. He reached for the two plates. "My first date," he murmured. "The first of many."

...oOo...

Sirius couldn't stop smiling. Remus had called his food 'amazing' and it wasn't a lie. He had watched Remus' face as Remus ate, ensuring that he was enjoying it.

Ice-cream eaten, they had moved to the sofa to watch a film and Remus had shyly put his arm around Sirius, only for Sirius to snuggle close to him.

"Mum asked Dad to find out about cooking courses at college," Remus said. "It's of course up to you what you do in the future, but I think you have talent."

Sirius beamed. He wasn't used to praise, and loved hearing it.

"You're amazing, did you know that?" Remus added, seeing the way Sirius lit up at the praise. "When James first mentioned you, I… I didn't know what to expect. I was nervous - your family name… but… but meeting you has been one of the best things to ever happen to me."

"You stole my line," Sirius whispered. "I've never been happier than I am with you." He snuggled closer. "Can we stay like this forever?"

Remus nodded. "Yeah, we can," he promised softly. Sirius shifted closer.

"Do we kiss now?" Sirius checked.

Remus nodded, glad that Sirius had brought it up. He had been much too nervous to even consider kissing Sirius. But before he could think about how to start it, Sirius' lips had gently pressed against his.

He definitely wanted to do this forever.


End file.
